People's application rejected - Alliance fails with application for less land consumption
A coalition of nature conservation and farming associations' demand for a limit on land consumption in Baden-Württemberg failed in the state parliament. The parliamentarians rejected the people's initiative of the alliance "Landes leben lassen." For the initiative, the associations had collected more than 50,000 signatures.
The people's initiative calls for a binding limit of first 2.5 hectares per day and net zero by 2035. In addition, from the associations' perspective, the preservation of fertile soils should be given greater importance in the future when designating new residential areas, with at least 60 inhabitants per hectare planned.
All factions spoke out against the people's initiative. Tobias Vogt, CDU parliamentarian, said, "We need more housing and for the economy, we still need new land." In his experience, there is no city council or mayor who would lightly give away land. SPD parliamentarian Jonas Hoffmann said, "We share the goals of the people's initiative, but I am not convinced by the measures it proposes."
Erik Schweickert from the FDP said, "If we were to approve this initiative, we would not be living in Baden-Württemberg, but rather leaving it behind." We need land for housing and also for commercial and industrial areas.
The initiators of the people's initiative cannot understand the parliamentarians' decision. The rejection is a heavy setback for land conservation and quality of life in Baden-Württemberg, the associations stated. "The coalition government does not intend to fulfill the promises given in the coalition agreement regarding land conservation," the statement reads. We expect the state government to conduct serious negotiations on effective measures for land conservation.
- Despite the failure in the State Parliament, the nature conservation and farming associations intend to lobby for the importance of natural protection in Baden-Württemberg, especially with regards to limiting area consumption and preserving fertile soils in new residential areas.
- The initiative in Stuttgart, led by the alliance "Landes leben lassen," proposes a net zero land consumption by 2035, with a daily limit of 2.5 hectares, highlighting the need for ecological considerations in urban planning.
- The rejection of the people's initiative by the Baden-Württemberg Parliament may prompt the initiators to engage with the State Government, advocating for effective measures to ensure the conservation of land and uphold the promises made in the coalition agreement.
- In response to the criticism, the State Parliament members from various factions emphasized the need for housing and economic growth, which could put pressure on the natural protection and land conservation efforts in Baden-Württemberg's commons.
